What is 4S?

The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is a scholarly society founded in 1975 with an international membership of over 1200. Its main purpose is to bring together those interested in understanding science, technology, and medicine, including the way they develop and interact with their social contexts.

Engaging Science, Technology, and Society is accepting manuscripts!
Submit a proposal for the STS Making and Doing session in Denver!
Nominees for Council?: deadline March 1
Nominees for 2015 4S Mentoring Award?: deadline April 1
Nominees for 6S representative: deadline April 30
Schedule of announcements for prize/award winners
Future meetings—propose to host 2017!

Nominations are being accepted up through March 01 2015 for the 2016 Fleck and Carson Prizes. The Fleck Prize is awarded annually for the best book in the area of science and technology studies. Created by the 4S Council in August of 1992. The author(s) receives a monetary stipend and an engraved plaque. The Carson Prize is awarded for a Work of Social or Political Relevance.

In our current era, states are more frequently turning to market mechanisms to achieve social aims. Rather than socializing unmet needs, states are establishing new markets to correct the failures of old markets; markets as interventions, markets upon markets.

Problematizing stuff is great. Open up concepts, get down underneath ideology, deconstruct—important stuff. Viva la différance and all that. Today, though, let’s solvatize something. And it’s this: what’s up with all these cats online?
A philosopher reflects on the business cat internet meme.

“Emotional Bodies: a Workshop on the Historical Performativity of Emotions” (20th-22nd October, 2014) aimed to contribute to this debate by focusing on how emotions understood as cultural practices have the affective power of creating emotional bodies.

Former 4S Secretary Wesley Shrum is building a series of video interviews with former 4S Presidents. These in-depth interviews are a rich source of information and perspective, not only about the illustrious careers of these scholars, but about currents of thought within the field over time. In this episode from the 4S 2009 meeting in Washington DC, Shrum interviews Karin Knorr Cetina, who was president in 1996 and 1997.

Technoscience Updates

The most recent postings to the Profession pages, emailed monthly to 4S members.